Parra Mattas

by Red Dwyer

Monday, 21 April 2008

PM has UWS in his sights

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, said the University of Western Sydney was positioned to play a key role in Australia's education revolution, at the cabinet meeting in Penrith. "UWS is strongly in our sights because of its huge capacity to bring young people into a university education for whom it would not normally be within their physical reach, or their conceptual reach of being able to enter a university for the first time," he said. More than half of the UWS students are the first in their family to attend university and over two thirds are from Greater Western Sydney. UWS is one of Australia's largest universities, providing education to 1.8 million people living in the region. Currently, UWS has 35,000 current students and around 100,000 graduates.

The Eels to stay at Parramatta

Eels’ fans will the glad to know that the club has signed a five-year agreement, which will see it, continue to make Parramatta Stadium its home ground, rather than relocate to the ANZ Stadium, at Homebush. The NSW Minister for Sport, Graham West, brokered a deal between the disputing Parramatta Stadium Trust and the club, which is facing financial difficulties; it made a loss of $4 million last year. The trust increased the stadium’s rent by $100,000 to $850,000 a season when it learnt Eels decided to move two matches a season to Homebush, to its financial advantage.

DJs out, Myer in at Bankstown

While Myer is expected to open a store in Bankstown in a move to increase sales, David Jones has left the suburb where it has been reported to have been struggling to deliver adequate profits. Ironically, Myer will move into the space previously occupied by DJs. A similar exchange happened when Myer recently moved into the former DJs outlet in Eastgardens.

Bookshop closes in June

The Book Collector, Parramatta’s only secondhand book shop, which has more than 20,000 books in over 100 categories on its shelves expects to close on June 30, after trading in the city for 12 years. The reasons being Barbara and Bill McLennan did not wish to renew their lease as the Parramall complex is up for redevelopment and they want time to “travel a little”. They will continue their business online.